American Express® Gold Card

 

American Express® Gold Card

 

    Advisor Credit cards American Express Gold Card Review

 

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American Express Gold Card 2022 Review

Robin Saks Frankel

Dia Adams

Robin Saks Frankel,  Dia Adams

Editor,  Editor

 

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

 

The American Express® Gold Card offers solid value for most travelers. The earnings rate of 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar at restaurants and U.S. Supermarkets* is among the highest in the industry. Membership Rewards are flexible and easy to redeem. The $250 annual fee can be justified by the dining and Uber benefits, provided you use them.

American Express® Gold Card

Rates & Fees  /  Terms Apply

American Express® Gold Card

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On American Express's Website

4.7

Forbes Advisor

Welcome Bonus

Earn 60,000 points

Annual Fee

$250

Regular APR

16.74%-23.74% Variable

Credit Score

Excellent/Good

Pros

 

    High rewards earnings possibilities

    Points transfer option to many partners

    Add up to 5 authorized users for no additional annual fee

    Can choose from regular or rose gold versions

 

Cons

 

    No lounge benefits

    Limited options to carry a balance

    High APR for pay over time feature

    High pay over time penalty APR

 

Highlights

 

    Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

    Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).

    Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

    $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.

    Updated $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.

    Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.

    No Foreign Transaction Fees.

    Annual Fee is $250.

    Terms Apply.

 

Less Highlights

Introduction

 

The American Express Gold Card is the mid-range option for those who wish to earn American Express Membership Rewards points. Some cards offer bonuses for dining and others for U.S supermarket spending, but the American Express Gold Card is an industry leader by offering 4 Membership Rewards per dollar on practically anything you eat or drink.

 

The downside? An annual fee of $250, which is not waived the first year. On paper the fee can be justified by the rewards the card offers. You’ll earn up to $120 in dining credits and up to $120 in Uber Cash. However, it is not so simple. The $120 dining credit has to be redeemed in $10 monthly increments, is only good at a small selection of restaurants and delivery services, which currently includes GrubHub, The Cheesecake Factory, Select Shake Shack locations, Goldbelly, Wine.com and Milk Bar, and requires enrollment. And the Uber Cash also has to be used at the rate of $10 per month and is only valid for rides and Uber eats in the U.S. You must also link your eligible card to your Uber account.

 

The card offers the ability to share travel protection benefits with up to five authorized cardholders for no additional fee. The users can be as young as 13, so this could be a good card for family use.

 

At a Glance

 

    $250 annual fee

    4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases

    Up to $120 in annual statement credits for eligible restaurants, payable as $10 per month credits

    Secondary car rental damage and loss insurance on eligible rentals

    Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash credits, $10 per month

    No foreign transaction fees

 

American Express Gold Card Rewards

Earning Rewards

 

The Amex Gold card has the following rewards structure:

 

    4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases

 

In addition to traditional rewards, the American Express Gold Card offers $120 in annual dining credits for eligible restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, Milk Bar, Goldbelly, select Shake Shack locations, and delivery services Grubhub and Seamless. However, this credit has to be spent monthly in $10 increments and you must enroll in the benefit, making it harder to use.

 

Cardholders also receive $10 in monthly Uber Cash when they add an eligible Gold card to their Uber account, for a total of up to $120 annually that can be used for Uber Eats or rides in the U.S.

 

Additionally, the Amex Gold offers the following welcome bonus: 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.

Redeeming Rewards

 

American Express Membership Rewards points are valuable because they are flexible. The points can be transferred to nearly two dozen airline partners, most at a 1:1 ratio. In addition, American Express offers frequent transfer bonuses which allow you to maximize your earnings. Among the most commonly used airline transfer partners are Delta (for SkyTeam airlines), British Airways and Iberia Avios (Oneworld) and Air Canada Aeroplan (Star Alliance).

 

If you don’t want to bother with transfer partners, you can redeem Membership Rewards for a large variety of gift cards in travel, retail and restaurant categories. Rates vary depending on the vendor and fluctuate between 0.5 cents and 1 cent per Membership Reward point. You can also pay with points at a number of vendors, most notably Amazon at 0.7 cents per Membership Reward point.

 

One of the easiest ways to redeem Membership Rewards points is for flights at 1 cent per point via American Express Travel. By doing so the flight booked with points will count as a “cash” flight in the eyes of the airline and may earn miles depending on the fare code and cost of the ticket.

Rewards Potential

 

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies in order to determine both baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage earners bring in $100,172 annually and we base spending on that number.

 

We calculated that Forbes Advisor’s sample household spends $10,093 on restaurants and groceries, which means that 40,372 Membership Rewards points could be earned in these categories each year.  Spending $1,755 on airfare would translate to 5,265 Membership Rewards earned, and $14,562 on other purchases that could reasonably be charged to a card would earn 14,562 Membership Rewards points. This means that the card would earn a total of 60,199 points per year in addition to the welcome bonus earned in the first year.

 

American Express Gold Card Benefits

 

    Global Assist Hotline: 24/7 access for medical, legal, financial and other select emergency assistance and coordination services.

    Amex Hotel Collection: Get a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities, plus a room upgrade upon arrival, if available, when you book a stay of at least two consecutive nights with American Express Travel.

    Baggage Insurance: Provides coverage for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage⁠. Terms Apply.

    Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: When you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental counter, you may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory. Terms apply.

 

Interest Rates

 

Note that the American Express Gold Card may not let you carry a balance from month to month on all of your purchases, so the intention should be to pay off your monthly balances in full.

 

Interest Rates

 

    Regular APR: 16.74%-23.74% Variable

    Purchase Intro APR: N/A

    Balance Transfer Intro APR: N/A

 

 

 

Fees

 

    Annual Fee: $250

    Balance Transfer Fee: N/A

    Cash Advance: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.

    Foreign Purchase Transaction Fee: None

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-gold-card/